Microsoft yanks sponsorship of ‘Family Guy’ special

Updated 1:29 p.m., Oct. 27: Here is an excruciatingly unfunny “Family Guy” promo that explains Microsoft’s marketing strategy toward young adults. And I’ve added another video, after the “continue reading” jump, that came out of the now-defunct Windows 7-”Family Guy” partnership.

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Microsoft has pulled its sponsorship of the commercial-free “Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show” special, which the Redmond-based company initially billed as an exciting return to the integrated advertising concepts of the 1940s and ’50s.

The one-off sketch show, still airing Nov. 8 on FOX, was set to incorporate Windows 7 advertising right into the show. It was part of a larger partnership between Microsoft and FOX to use “Family Guy” characters and programming to target its new operating system toward the young-adult demographic.

Apparently, “Family Guy’s” raunchy style of humor was too much for the software superpower, reports Variety.

Courtesy of FOX

The “Family Guy” family.

“We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of ‘Family Guy,’ but after reviewing an early version of the variety show it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Variety. “We continue to have a good partnership with Fox, Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein and are working with them in other areas. We continue to believe in the value of brand integrations and partnerships between brands, media companies and talent.”